Pacers rout Hawks, take series lead

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - The Indiana Pacers came back home and
reasserted themselves in the paint.

Now they just need to figure out a way to do that in Atlanta.

David West had 24 points, while Paul George added 21 points and 10 rebounds in
the Pacers' 106-83 rout of the Hawks in Game 5 of this Eastern Conference
first-round series.

West went 11-of-16 from the field and George missed just one shot over eight
tries. Roy Hibbert finished with 18 points and nine boards for the Pacers, who
will try to wrap up the series in Atlanta Friday where they have dropped 13
straight dating back to 2006.

All five games in the set have been decided by double figures.

Once the series shifted south, Hawks head coach Larry Drew made the decision
to start Johan Petro at center. That moved Al Horford to power forward and
Josh Smith to the three-spot. Kyle Korver went to the bench and the big lineup
worked.

In the two tilts at Philips Arena, the Pacers shot 27 percent and 38 percent,
respectively, from the field.

Indiana, though, got back to playing its game on Wednesday. The Pacers shot
50.7 percent (35-of-69) from the floor, outrebounded Atlanta by a commanding
51-28 margin and won the points in the paint battle by a 36-28 spread.

Al Horford and Josh Smith netted 14 points apiece for Atlanta, which has
dropped seven of its last eight in Indianapolis.

The Hawks led 22-21 after a quarter of play, but Indiana began to seize
control of the contest in the second.

Smith split a pair of free throws to give Atlanta a 31-28 advantage, but
West went on a personal 8-0 tear to put Indiana ahead. He began the flurry
with a pair of layups before knocking down back-to-back jumpers for a 36-31
Pacers edge a little past the midway point of the frame.

West was 6-of-7 for 12 points in the stanza as the hosts took a 50-43 cushion
into the break.

An 11-2 Pacers run during the middle stages of the third put them comfortably
in front. George Hill, who capped the swing with a jumper, had six points,
while George added the other five during the surge, which propelled Indy to a
68-48 advantage.

The Pacers held an 81-67 lead after three and the margin peaked at 27 in
the final stanza.

Game Notes

Since moving to Atlanta in 1968, the Hawks are 21-85 in postseason road games
... Hill had 15 points and 10 assists ... Devin Harris tallied 13 points for
Atlanta ... The Hawks shot 33.3 percent (25-of-75) from the field.